30Oct15

China does not recognize Hague's arbitration court jurisdiction in South China
Sea

China has refused to take part in hearings in the The Hague-based Permanent
Court of Arbitration on territorial disputes in the South China Sea initiated by
the Philippines and said it does not recognize the court's jurisdiction, Vice
Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Zhenmin said on Friday.

"Talking about the Philippines' decision to file claims to the arbitration court in
the Hague, China's position has remained very clear over the last two-three
years, starting from 2013. China will not participate in the hearings and does
not recognize [the court's jurisdiction in the case]," he said.

On October 29 Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague decided to expand
its jurisdiction to the South China Sea to consider the case of a territorial
dispute between the Philippines and China. In January 2013 the Philippines
unilaterally filed claims on the territorial dispute with China to the court.

Beijing has for decades been involved in a dispute with many countries in the
region over the territorial jurisdiction of a number of islands in the South China
Sea, where significant reserves of hydrocarbons have been found. This refers,
above all, to the Xisha archipelago (the Paracel Islands), the Nansha Islands
(the Spratly Islands) and Huangyan Island. Other countries involved in the
dispute are Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. As of the end of
2013, China has been engaged in large-scale hydro-engineering and
construction work on the expansion and development of the territories under
its control.

[Source: Itar Tass, Beijing, 30Oct15]

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